Game with a 32-card deck

ECARTE

This classic French trick-taking game for two players often involves discarding cards to reduce your hand size before playing.

The clue "Game with a 32-card deck" points to Ecarte, a classic French card game traditionally played with a stripped-down deck. The name comes from the French word écarter, meaning "to discard," which hints at the game’s core mechanic of discarding cards to win tricks. It’s less common today but was once popular in 19th-century Europe, making it a niche but valid answer for crossword fans familiar with historical card games. The straightforward clue relies on knowing the game’s defining feature—its 32-card setup.